Music

Overview

Students majoring in Music must choose one of the following concentrations to pursue: music production; composition; instrumental performance; vocal performance; ethnomusicology or popular music; musicology; or music theory and analysis. Students considering any of these tracks should begin by taking the appropriate entry-level music theory course in their first year. All concentrations require music theory, and many Music courses (including all the production courses) have a music theory prerequisite. Students with no prior music theory experience must take MUSC 101, offered in the fall semester. Students with some experience in music theory should take the Music Theory Placement Exam to see if they can pass into MUSC 151, offered in the spring semester. 

Students considering studying abroad in their junior year must begin the music theory sequence in their first year and should only consider study abroad programs that can advance them in their particular Music major concentration. We offer one minor concentration, in Ethnomusicology and Popular Music.

Major Requirements

MAJOR

All students pursuing a Music major must complete the following courses:

Required Courses:

Required Concentration

In addition to these 24 units required of all Music majors, students majoring in Music must pursue one of the following concentrations:

Music Production

Music Composition

Instrumental Performance

Vocal Performance

Ethnomusicology or Popular Music

Musicology

Music Theory & Analysis

Second-Stage Writing Requirement

Students majoring in Music will satisfy the second-stage component of Occidental College's college-wide writing requirement by successfully completing MUSC 201, MUSC 261, or MUSC 263 in the sophomore or junior year with a grade of B- or higher.  Students receiving a C+ or lower will have to take another Music course that satisfies this requirement. Music majors who do not complete the Second-Stage Writing Requirement through the standard course-based mechanism will need to submit a satisfactory writing portfolio (consisting of 4000 to 5000 words) from 200-level Music courses to the Department Chair prior to the end of their Senior Fall semester.

Comprehensive Requirement

Senior music majors complete a senior project related to the student's area of interest. All senior projects involve both a written and an oral component. The written component (thesis draft; or final draft of argument-driven analytic paper plus recital program notes) must be completed by the end of MUSC 490, which is offered in the fall semester. Each component is graded High Pass (HP), Pass (P), or Fail (F). A final grade of Pass with Distinction (PD) on the senior comprehensive will be awarded if all components (written, oral, and performance, if applicable) are graded High Pass.

In the Fall semester of their junior year, students submit a proposal for their senior project to the Music Department faculty for approval. Music's "Senior Comprehensive Project" page provides details about the project proposal and the requirements of individual concentrations.

All seniors will present their work in a public forum during the spring semester. If the Music faculty determines that the senior has not sufficiently prepared to complete the project in time, the senior must take a written examination in lieu of the recital or thesis submission/presentation in order to fulfill the senior comprehensive requirement. The faculty will supply questions drawn from the material of that senior’s course of music study at Occidental.

College Honors

Students who have achieved at least a 3.25 average in their Music courses and have demonstrated exceptional potential in their Music concentration of study (one of the concentrations listed above) may apply for the Honors Program at the end of their junior year. For information about the Honors Program, students should consult their Music Department faculty adviser. See the Honors Program for additional information.

Minor Requirements

Ethnomusicology and Popular Music

Students must complete a total of 20 units.

One 100-level elective, selected from the courses below.

Two 200- or 300-level electives, selected from the courses below.

Music Theory Placement

All Music students will begin their Music Theory and Musicianship study in one of two ways: by taking MUSC 101 (no prior experience with music fundamentals), or MUSC 151.

Awards

The Elinor Remick Warren Award is presented for the most outstanding student composition. 

The Peters Prize is awarded to the student who has done the most to promote music on the Occidental campus. 

The James F. English and Marie E. English Award is given to the most promising vocal student, and is used for one year of private vocal study at Occidental College. 

The Marcia Hannah Farmer Award is given to a vocal student and is applied toward private vocal study at Occidental College.

Transfer Credit Policies

The Music Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.

Courses

MUSC - Music Courses

MUSA - Music Applied Study

Faculty

Regular Faculty

David Kasunic, chair

Associate Professor

B.A., Amherst College; M.F.A., Ph.D., Princeton University

Irene Girton

Professor

B.Mus., Oberlin College Conservatory of Music; M.Phil., Ph.D., Yale University

Shanna Lorenz

Associate Professor

B.A., Reed College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D., New York University

Adam Schoenberg

Associate Professor

B.M., Oberlin Conservatory of Music; M.M., D.M.A., The Juilliard School

On Special Appointment

Joe Addington

Non-Tenure Track Afro-Cuban Drumming Instructor

Director of the Afro-Cuban Drumming Ensemble 

Jongnic Bontemps

Non-Tenure Track Instructor, Music Production

B.A., Yale University

Jongnic Bontemps

Non-Tenure Track Instructor, Music Production

B.A., Yale University

Stephen Cabell

Non-Tenure Track Instructor

B.M., The Curtis Institute; M.M., The Juilliard School

Shawn Costantino

Non-Tenure Track Instructor

Director of the Occidental Jazz Ensemble

B.Mus., Studio Music and Jazz, University of Miami; M.M., Jazz Studies, De Paul University

Max Foreman

Andrew G. Mellon Professor of the Practice in Music

B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz; M.F.A., California Institute of the Arts

Edmond Johnson

Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor

Director of Advising

B.A., Lawrence University; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Chris Kim

Director of Instrumental Activities

B.M., Northwestern University; M.M., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Desiree La Vertu

Non-Tenure Track Associate Professor

Director of Choral and Vocal Activities

B.Mus., California State University, Fullerton; M.M. University of Nevada, Reno

Dina Ormenyi

Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor

Piano Instructor

B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara; M.F.A., University of California, Los Angeles

Fabio Paolizzo

Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Audio/Music/Sound Engineering

B.A., M.A., Tor Vergata University of Rome; Ph.D., University of Kent

G. Simeon Pillich

Non-Tenure Track Professor

B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles